Traffic Flow of Connected and Automated Vehicles: Challenges and Opportunities

Significant progress has been observed in recent years in the development of connected and automated vehicles (CAVs). Such progress has been publicized through the latest products/applications being released or announced by the industry. However, there is a limited knowledge on the impact of CAV technologies on surface transportation network performance. In particular, the technological specifications associated with CAVs and the response of drivers to such technologies are not well integrated into traffic flow models. These models are needed to assess and evaluate the safety and mobility impact on our roadway conditions. Accordingly, a more elaborate discussion is needed between three entities: (1) the industry partners leading the efforts in developing CAVs; (2) the academic traffic flow modeling community researching the impact of CAVs on traffic flow performance; and (3) the public/government agencies devising the standards and the rules to regulate the deployment of CAVs on our roadway network. This chapter summarizes the presentations of speakers from these three entities during the Automated Vehicles Symposium 2016 (AVS16) held in San Francisco, California on July 19–21, 2016. These speakers participated in the break-out session titled “Traffic Flow of Connected and Automated Vehicles”. The corresponding discussion and recommendation are presented in terms of the lessons learned and the future research direction to be adopted. This session was organized by the AHB45(3) Subcommittee on Traffic Flow Modeling for Connected and Automated Vehicles.